“Abandoned, huh?” Elene commented.
The four of us lay down on a small hill overlooking where the helicopter was parked. The helicopter was located in the middle of a small outpost, guarded by people in military uniforms with a red flag attached to their arm patches.
This was not the Divinity, hell, from the looks of it, they were communists. Well, this might be the Union they were talking about, judging by the combination of AKs and their Eastern type of equipment. From the looks of it, the outpost was hastily made.
“Well, can you handle some Union soldiers?” Mira commented.
“I’ll try,” I shrugged my shoulders. “These were no husks.”
“Yeah, these weren’t. Forget about stealth, I think they have a seer among their ranks,” Elene added.
“Well, I see thirty Union soldiers. Hey, Healer, you have a spell that can aim bullets, right?” Alice asked. “You’re a guardian healer, the class alone is very versatile, to say the least.”
I nodded.
“Great, you’ll be overlooking that outpost alongside me.”
“Woah, wait a minute,” Elene protested. “This woman brought a juggernaut suit, Alice. I don’t think she would be suited as a mere sniper. The two of us will attack the outpost while you and Mira handle the troops that pinned us down.”
Alice sighed. “That’s what you think, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Ain, listen. I believe you’re capable, but we need to make a quick move on the helicopter. Mira would pair better with Elene. Besides, your MRAD can take out the mage before we even start the assault. What do you think?”
Honestly, what Alice said made more sense than what Elene had suggested. If speed was the priority, I’d be better off with my large-caliber rifle, providing overwatch on the outpost, especially with the spell that guided my bullets. My .338 rifle would make quick work of anyone in my sights. Let’s not even mention Alice with her humongous rifle whose caliber was bigger than a .50 BMG.
I volunteered to stay behind, but something caught my attention. My frame and Elene’s weren’t too different—she was a bit taller, but she’d have a better chance of surviving in the juggernaut suit.
I pulled out my suit and handed it to Elene. Alice gave a thumbs-up as Elene quickly strapped it on. I then passed her the MG-338, completing her juggernaut loadout. Our plan was straightforward: they would bum-rush the outpost from the vicinity of the helicopter, charging in to get it started immediately.
Mira would jumpstart the helicopter while Elene took care of everything on the ground. Meanwhile, our job was to act as a distraction for the first minute of the assault, providing covering fire for the team once the action began.
“Hey, take this radio,” Mira said, handing me a tactical radio. “It’s an AN/PRC-148, set to our frequency. Your tac-name is Jackal 2. Clear enough?”
“Yeah,” I replied.
Finishing the loadout, Elene then nodded, “Mira, let’s go.”
Elene and Mira moved quietly, their steps light as they descended the hill, hugging the terrain to stay out of sight. Their silhouette was barely visible if not for the night-vision goggles that I wore on my head. Elene was leading the way.
The moment they got closer, the mage had already detected them. The seer’s senses could detect them from afar using psionic detection. However, without a direct line of sight, the seer hesitated, unable to pinpoint their exact location. Alice pointed to me that the seer was the one carrying the radio in his backpack.
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Then, just as they reached the edge of the outpost, Mira made her move. With precise timing, she fired a single shot. The bullet pierced the air with a thunderous crack that blew my hair away, and the mage—who had been searching for them—dropped instantly, the life drained from him before he could react.
The thunderous shot rang out, instantly alerting the entire outpost. Chaos erupted as the Union soldiers blindly fired in our direction. Without hesitation, I activated the dark psionic imbue on my sniper rifle, and the world seemed to slow. The dark energy enveloped the bullet, guiding it with precision to its target.
Each shot landed with deadly accuracy, my rifle never missing. One by one, Union soldiers dropped, each bullet finding its mark, the headshots clean and efficient. The psionic energy ensured every round was true, cutting down their numbers swiftly.
Elene and Mira blasted their way into the heart of the outpost. Elene raised a shield that enveloped the front of her body, her machine gun spitting a relentless stream of fire at the enemy. The soldiers' bullets bounced harmlessly off her shield, their efforts futile against her defense.
Despite the immense weight of the juggernaut suit, Elene moved with surprising speed, charging toward the center of the outpost, making herself the focal point of their attention. Mira, swift and focused, made her way to the helicopter, slipping into the cockpit of the Hind without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Elene cast another spell. A glowing white energy surrounded her, amplifying her strength as she continued to mow down the enemy with her machine gun. The soldiers armed with AKs dropped one after another, their ranks thinning under the sheer power of Elene’s unrelenting barrage.
She advanced slowly, savoring the fear in their eyes as she taunted them with each step. The constant sound of her gunfire drowned out all else, leaving nothing but chaos in her wake. The Union soldiers were desperate, throwing grenades, explosives, anything to kill Elene, but the spell-enchanted juggernaut suit just shrugged it off.
They shouted at the radio, however, it was merely replied with a static. Alice killed anyone that had antennae attached to their body, her large-caliber rifle also quickly destroyed any sign of radar installation and radio antennae, cutting the outpost from any external communication.
Slowly, the blades of the helicopter began to rotate. The enemies began to shift their fire at the titanium bathtub, but before they aimed their rifles at the helicopter, Elene quickly dispatched the soldiers with extreme prejudice, ignoring her own safety for her teammates’ safety.
“I think these bastards are planning to attack Solimat too,” Mira remarked.
Alice glanced at her, her voice calm as ever. “What makes you say that?”
“They’ve got enough ATGMs attached to the pylons of the helicopter to wipe out an entire tank battalion,” Mira replied.
Elene, never one to hold back, smirked. “Well, taking down Belikov would be easy enough, right?”
“You bet your ass it would,” Mira added with a grin.
Alice and I continued our unrelenting barrage of bullets at the hostiles in that outpost. Nobody was spared, and Alice killed the last soldier who was still standing with her gigantic rifle. The last thunderous voice marked the end of combat.
[Exiting Combat: +4,000 EXP]
[Level Up: 14 → 15]
[24 Stats Points Available]
[3 Skill&Perks Points Available]
“Clear!” Elene shouted.
“It’s all clear from here too,” Alice replied.
“Time to get the hell out, let’s move,” Mira commanded.
Alice and I quickly went downhill. Elene hauled her machine gun with her hands and ran inside the opened cargo bay of the helicopter. Alice and I jumped together into the cargo bay and we took off from the ground, leaving the Union outpost in ruin.
The cargo door closed as we departed from the outpost, leaving the ruin for the Union to investigate, well, we just stole their military hardware without them realizing, but it wouldn’t take too long for them to realize what just happened.
Elene took off the heavy juggernaut helmet, “That’s one hell of an assault, great work.”
“Not bad, for a newbie,” Alice praised while tapping my back.
I surveyed the cargo bay of the aircraft, which was packed with supplies, food, ammunition, and a variety of other items—all of it freshly stolen from the Union. My gaze drifted to the interior of the aircraft, and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe. It was my first time aboard, and the sight left me astounded.
The walls were painted in a light blue, and exposed cabling and hydraulics ran across the space, giving it a raw, utilitarian feel. Two machine guns mounted by the windows stood ready, each loaded with a full belt of ammo, poised to unleash hell at a moment's notice. The PK machine gun, in particular, would prove invaluable, if it came to that.
“Alright, what’s the next plan? Are we going after Belikov?” I asked.
“No, we will be going after the Uragan launcher.”